Blog Exercises: Pain Brings Wisdom

You know, the number one thing we want to avoid in life is pain. But at the same time, it’s the number one thing that forces us to grow as human beings. It deepens our ability to feel empathy, turns knowledge into wisdom. And there was enough pain in this situation that I think in a lot of ways it can turn you into a better person.

This insightful quote comes from Damien Echols. In 1994, he was falsely accused of being one of three teenager killers of three eight year old boys in West Memphis, Arkansas. The three spent 18 years in prison, with Damien on death row.

Released in 2011, the three teenagers have been a part of multiple documentaries promoting their innocence, which led to their release, and a new documentary called “West of Memphis.” The documentaries look into the horrors of false imprisonment as well as the politics and manipulation of their prosecution and the community’s willingness to “get this case over” and move on with their lives without finding the real killer who remains on the loose even now.

With almost 20 years of his life taken away, Damien accepted his state, becoming a master of meditation and energy work including reiki, tai chi, and gigong, his goal in life now to open a meditation and spiritual center in Massachusetts to teach others to find peace in their own pain.

It is the truth. We want to avoid pain, but it is the pain that makes us grow, as human beings as well as compassionate members of society. It turns knowledge into wisdom. We must learn from our mistakes in order to grow.

It is through pain and suffering that we find courage, motivation, and inspiration to move forward in our lives. Pain, and the avoidance of pain, directs our path.

Publish a post on how pain in your life, the struggles, the challenges, have made you a better person and impacted who you are and how you blog.

Remember to include a hat tip link back to this post if you publish an article on this exercise to create a trackback, or leave a properly formed link in the comments so participants can check out your blog exercise task.